Ever After
by justanoutlaw
Summary: The future of the Locksley-Mills family in my "Resurrected" verse.
1. Chapter 1

**I debated putting this in the main fic as a flashforward, but decided to make these future shots into their own series.**

It was rare Regina would admit she was sick. She had taken the first round of PSATs with a 102 degree fever. She had once successfully defended someone in court with food poisoning. Henry's fifth birthday party went off without a hitch, despite her double ear infection. Yes, it was rare that Regina buckled down and admitted that she was sick. That was a lot harder to do when she could barely sit through a PTA meeting without having to bolt out the door and throw up in the nearest trash can.

Mulan followed after her the third time it happened, rubbing her back and handing her a bottle of water to clear out her mouth. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"If we don't figure out this stuff for the bake sale, Fiona is going to have my ass on a plate."

"Screw Fiona. You're obviously sick. Is it something you ate?"

"It'd have to be everything I've ate. I can't seem to keep anything down and I've just been so tired."

"Have you been working a lot lately?"

"Actually, my case work has been pretty slow and the kids haven't been giving me that much trouble. House is actually quiet given all of Roland and Henry's activities."

Mulan tilted her head. "Breasts tender? Lack of a certain friend?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Mulan, I have three kids. I think I'd know if I was pregnant."

"All symptoms are different. Merida's pregnancy Greer was a lot different than Marian's with Maria."

"I'm fine. Probably just coming down with something, let's get back in there."

Regina tried to ignore what Mulan had said. There was just no way that she could be pregnant. She and Robin had been very careful since they got back together. Before everything happened, they had planned on four kids but a lot had changed. They had their hands full with the three they had and there would be such big age gaps. The original plan had been to get pregnant when Margot was about 1 years old. Now she was 6, Roland was 10 and Henry just had his 13th birthday. Sure, they were only 35, but she had adjusted to the fact that in a dozen years-time, they'd be empty nesters. They had only been back together for a little over a year, still technically divorced. It wasn't the right time.

Considering her first two pregnancies had been very much unplanned, she should've realized that babies don't always wait for the right time.

It took two days before she finally got the nerve to go out and buy a pregnancy test. She sat at her desk in her home office, her heel impatiently tapping against the hard wood floor. Eventually, her phone buzzed to let her know that the timer had finished. She looked down at the test and saw the single word she hadn't known she had wanted.

**Pregnant**

"Regina?"

Robin's voice rang through the first floor and she felt her heart sink down in her stomach. She suddenly found herself happy about this pregnancy, but what if he wasn't?

"In the office," she called back, sliding a book over the test.

He walked in, still dressed from work. Sometimes she forgot just how handsome he looked in a suit. Robin loosened his tie and walked over, kissing her.

"Where are the kids?"

"The boys are at soccer, Mary Margaret is giving them a ride home. And Margot has a playdate."

"So, it's just us?"

"For the minute."

Robin smiled, though it lessened a bit when he saw her face. "What's going on?"

She sighed. They had promised no more secrets and it wasn't fair to keep it from him. Regina moved the copy of "War and Peace" from on top of the test and handed it over to him. He looked from the tiny screen, back to her.

"You're pregnant?"

"I'm pregnant."

Once again, Robin bent down, kissing her. Regina was taken off guard, but deepened it for a moment. When he pulled away, she saw that he was still smiling.

"You're okay with this?"

"We always said we wanted a fourth kid."

"I know, it's just…a lot has changed and we've only been back together for a year…" Her eyes went down to the engagement ring that he had returned to her finger. "We're not even married again, yet."

"That doesn't matter. We're going to have another child. This…this is really amazing."

Regina found a smile tugging on her own lips. "I'm gonna be a fat bride."

"You'll be amazing." Robin cupped her cheek, staring down into her eyes. "We're having another baby."

"Yes," Regina whispered, the idea of it bringing tears to her eyes. "We are."


	2. Chapter 2

Being sick over the holidays sucked, being sick on Christmas was possibly even worse. Regina had been up half the night wrapping last minute gifts with Robin, ignoring his reminders that she was 38 weeks pregnant and should be resting. They had gotten Margot the new LOL Dollhouse and Roland had asked for a new bike, so there was a lot of assembly going on. So, she tackled the dollhouse while he did the bicycle. Henry had been the easiest, asking for a laptop of his own so he could get some writing done. Regina felt sharp pain in her stomach as she put the stickers onto the walls of the plastic home, but she ignored it, figuring the baby was just kicking very hard.

After all the presents had either been set up or wrapped, the two tired parents headed upstairs to bed. Robin was softly snoring not long after his head hit the pillow, but Regina found it hard to be comfortable, no matter what position she took. Eventually, she got out of bed and started pacing the room. The pain was only getting worse and she prayed that the contractions were just Braxton Hicks. They still had another two weeks left to go in the pregnancy, he wouldn't be born on Christmas.

Deciding a bath would help calm her, Regina started to run it around three in the morning. Before she could even get in, however, she noticed that there was amniotic fluid on the floor along with what she recognized as the mucus plug.

Ready or not, this baby was coming.

After managing to get her clothes back on, Regina went into the bedroom and shook her husband awake. "Robin," she whispered. "Robin, the baby's coming."

Robin's eyes flickered open. "What?"

"My water broke."

"That can't be possible. You weren't having contractions before."

"I thought they were just Braxton Hicks, but my water broke."

Robin rubbed any remaining sleep from his eyes. "Okay, um….okay. We need a plan."

"Just call Will, get dressed and get the bag. I'll call the doctor."

A half hour later, Will arrived still looking exhausted. Robin and Regina told him he could crash in the guest bedroom, thanking him for rushing over. They gave him instructions to wake up before the kids so they could understand where their parents were.

"We're going to miss seeing them open their gifts," Regina said, sadly, rubbing her baby bump.

"I told Will to have them wait. He's gonna bring all the gifts to the hospital and they'll open them there."

"It's not the same as before."

"Well, I doubt Christmas is ever going to be the same again. This baby is going to have a birthday during it."

"How are we going to manage both?"

"We'll figure it out." Robin squeezed her hand when they reached the red light, just in time for her to have another contraction. He winced as she screamed, hating seeing her in pain, even if it was the fourth time they were going through this.

Regina let out a deep breath after it passed. "Well, this is going to be bigger than the Christmas present I actually got you."

"And to think, all I got you was an iPad," he said, a twinkle in his eyes.

***x***

Henry woke up on Christmas morning the same way he did every year. Roland and Margot jumped onto his bed, screaming that it was Christmas. When he was younger, he was as excited as them. Now he was a teenager and getting less sleep, so he was a tad grumpy. Still, hearing Margot somehow made him smile, even if it was just a bit.

"Santa came!" She said excitedly. "I got a house for my LOL Dolls!"

"And I got a bike!" Roland added.

"Are Mom and Dad up yet?" Henry asked, stretching a bit.

"No. Margot went to wake them up first, but their bed was empty so we went downstairs and saw the stuff with bows on it."

Henry furrowed his brows. Normally his siblings woke up before his parents every holiday and they'd all go get them up together. Especially with the baby coming, he knew his mom had been extra tired. "Well, let's go find them."

The three of them headed downstairs and Henry found the pile of gifts under the tree, with the two big gifts for his siblings out. The stockings hung above the fireplace, which was surprisingly lit. The cookies Margot had left for Santa were eaten, but outside that, there was no evidence of his parents being there.

"Hey kids, Merry Christmas." The three of them turned around to find their uncle Will standing there, dressed in National Lampoon Christmas Vacation pajamas.

"Uncle Will?" Roland tilted his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Your parents called me early this morning to come look after you. Mom went into labor this morning."

Roland and Margot looked confused, but Henry's eyes lit up. "Our baby brother's coming?"

"He was born at 7 this morning, your mom had a pretty quick deliver."

"We have a new baby brother?!" Roland asked, shaking with excitement. Will nodded and he turned to Margot squeezing her arm. "You're a big sister now."

Margot pouted slightly. The news of her no longer being the baby had been a bit hard on her. It had gotten a little easier when she found out she'd stay the only girl, but it still wasn't easy. "I wanna see Mommy."

"We're going in a bit," Will promised. "Let's have some breakfast and then we'll bring all the presents to the hospital so we can open them with your parents and little brother."

"What's his name?" Henry asked.

"We'll let your parents tell you."

"But you know?"

"Yup, and I've been sworn to secrecy."

The three kids let out groans in almost sync. Will laughed, shaking his head. They were so much like their father.

***x***

Regina leaned against the pillows, watching Robin as he cradled their son in his arms. She thought back to her first labor, Henry had taken nearly an entire day to come. Roland had been a C-Section so he was a bit quicker, but Margot had taken 12 hours. Her youngest son had come so fast, which the doctor said was normal, but she had definitely tore and would be in pain for a bit.

Seeing her youngest in the arms of her husband, made it all worth it.

"You've had him for a half hour," she said. "It's my turn."

Robin chuckled, turning and placing him in her arms. "There you go."

"He's already got your eyes."

"All babies are born with blue eyes."

"Roland wasn't."

"True. But I think this baby is going to look more like you too."

"Nah, I don't think so." She kissed her son's squishy nose. He had weighed more than all her other kids, at 9 pounds. It was probably a good thing he had been born 2 weeks early. "God, he's so big."

"That's good, he's got a lot of siblings to put up with."

There was a knock at the door and Will entered the room, a Santa hat on his head and a black garbage bag swung over his shoulder.

"Ho ho ho," he said. "Special delivery."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Where are my other babies?"

"Geez, am I not enough for you Regina?"

"Nope."

He rolled his eyes and opened the door more, allowing the kids to come in. Margot instantly ran to her bedside and Robin picked her up, settling her next to her mom.

"Hey Peanut, Merry Christmas. Be careful with your mom, she's a little sore," he said, gently.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Regina said, smiling at all of her kids as the boys crowded around. "Meet your new baby brother."

"He's so big," Henry said. "Bigger than Roland was even."

"Nine pounds," Robin told him, ruffling his hair.

"Ouch."

Regina chuckled. "You could say that."

Roland climbed on the other side of her, being mindful of the machines. "He looks like Dad. Kinda."

"We won't know officially for a couple of more months. Most babies look the same in the beginning. Though we already know he loves to eat, just like his brothers and sister."

"Officially a Locksley-Mills," Henry teased.

Margot broke her silence. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course you can," Regina said. "You've just got to support his head."

She helped her daughter hold him, watching a tiny smile go on her face. Robin held his hand under Margot's just in case, but it was clear how good she was at it.

"Hi," Margot whispered. "I'm your big sister, Margot. You can play with my toys when you're big enough." Regina felt the tears well up in her eyes once again, she hadn't expected her daughter to be so good with him. Will was taking pictures in the background, staying quiet for once.

"Can we finally know his name?" Henry asked.

"Well, for awhile we were going back and forth on a name," Robin said, gently putting the baby back in his wife's arms as it was clear Margot was getting bored. "Names are never easy for us. Normally we try to name one name after someone we know. Like you, Henry. You were named after your grandpa and your uncle David."

"And Roland's middle name is William," Regina added.

"Which is the best one," Will pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "And Margot's middle name, Olivia, is after Daddy's mom. We knew we wanted this baby's middle name to be Tucker."

"He was my uncle, the one who helped me and my mom after my dad passed," Robin explained. "We still couldn't think of anything that went until we flipped through a name book and found a name that means hardy, brave and strong. All of the attributes we see in the three of you, and we know that you'll pass down to him."

"So," Regina adjusted her newborn son in her arms as he squirmed. "Everyone meet Wyatt Tucker Locksley-Mills."

"Wyatt," Henry repeated. "I like it."

"Not something he'll get teased over," Roland added.

Margot nodded. "It's cute. Like him."

Robin grinned at his family, watching as Regina allowed Roland and then Henry hold Wyatt. For a long time, he hadn't felt like their family was whole. This was their first Christmas as a family of 6 and finally, things seemed to fall into place. His wife was alive and healthy. Their marriage was better than ever and they had four beautiful children that he loved more than life itself. Things truly could not be any better.


	3. Chapter 3

**For part 2 of Day 1 of OQ prompt party. This was a personal prompt submitted to me: Resurrected - The first anniversary of Regina's "death" after she's returned.**

In Hyperion Heights, Regina took the day off from work and buried herself in her apartment. She looked at pictures of her kids. They varied between the ones she managed to steal before she left and those Jefferson sent every month. She allowed the pain to wash over her, torturing herself with the memory of her happy family. Wondering what they were doing that day.

Nearly a year after she returns, she gets a look at it.

She and Robin have been back together for 2 months now. They share a bed, make love and go to therapy. Together, they work on rebuilding their relationship.

Today is different and she knows it.

He sits on the edge of the bed, wringing his wrists. Still in his gray pajama pants and a white t-shirt, a haunted look is written on his face.

"They called me at work," he whispers.

Regina is still from her spot in the closet doorway. "Robin…"

"One minute I'm giving a presentation and the next, I'm on the floor." He gnaws on his lip. "They're telling me that the love of my life, the woman I've spent ten years with…is just gone."

Guilt swarms her stomach. During that time, she had been on a plane, her cheeks sticky with tears. Her head already itched from her wig and too big glasses framed her face.

But Robin had it worse. Way worse.

Regina walks over and kneels before him on the plush carpet. She runs her fingers over his chin, his stubble tickling them.

"Then I had to tell the kids." Regina shuts her eyes. "I can still hear their cries."

A sob escapes Regina's lips. This is what Archie told them to do, talk it out. Tell each other how they're feeling, even the hard stuff.

"I'm sorry, Robin," she breaks out. "I'm so sorry."

He doesn't say anything. Regina lays her head on his lap and his fingers massage her scalp. When she left, it had been for everyone's safety and not just her own. Even so, it had hurt all of them and today was going to bring all of that up again.

"What can I do to make today easier for you?" she whispers.

"Just…be here." The response surprises her. She thought for sure he'd want her to go, push her away. Instead, he lifts her chin up. Tears pool his big blue eyes. "I can't lose you again."

Regina nods, her cheeks still in his grasp. "I won't go anywhere."

Roland can't be near her and she doesn't blame him. On a normal day, they're fine. They've developed a new relationship, it'll never be like their old one and that's okay. He's growing up, their bond is bound to change. Today, however, is different. He won't look her in the eye as she places eggs on the table and he's silent through breakfast.

Henry stays by her side. He sits on the left of her at the meal (Robin is on the right). His hug is a little too tight when he greets her. His eyes are glossed over and they dart back and forth. She's reminded of how fast he had to grow up when she was gone.

Margot doesn't understand. She asks for extra berries on her pancakes and if she can have chocolate milk instead of juice. Regina obliges with both out of guilt.

Roland leaves after breakfast, saying he's going to a neighbor's. Margot heads to the playroom to do some drawing. Regina is left with Henry and Robin, who are staring holes into her.

"How about a movie?" she suggests. "Henry can pick."

They end up watching Star Wars, but Regina pulls out her laptop. She has something in mind for tonight.

Roland comes back in time for dinner, which is another quiet affair. Afterwards, she calls them all into the den.

"I know today is hard on us," she says.

"Because everyone's been quiet?" Margot asks.

"Well, sweetie, everyone's been quiet because today's the anniversary of when I went away." The boys visibly flinch. "And I know I can't make up for that day or what happened…but I thought maybe we could start a new tradition for the day. Try to show each other what both of us went through."

Regina presses play on her laptop which is synced to the TV. She settles in between Robin and Henry, Margot scrambling onto her lap.

Pictures of Roland's first soccer game roll across the screen. Henry grins and comments about how bad his brother was. Roland throws a pillow. After, a picture of Regina dressed as Roni in front of the bar is shown. The kids stare at it in awe. Robin's hand slip through hers.

"You sure you want to do this?" he whispers.

Regina nods. "Yeah."

So, he lets it continue. Henry winning the Science fair. Margot's ballet debut. Roni serving drinks and pictures of her apartment. There were even some of Robin at work.

The pictures weren't everything, there was an air of creepiness given that they were taken from afar. But they show the love in the family, while missing their matriarch.

Roland eventually moves from next to Robin and slowly slides down to sit between Regina's legs. She softly smiles, running her fingers through his thick curls.

Later that night, after the rest of her family has gone to bed, Regina stands on the deep south side of their yard . Shovel in one hand, box in another. The graveyard no longer contains her gravestone, Regina Mills lives.

But Veronica Ramirez doesn't, not anymore.

She digs a small hole, just deep enough. Once she's done, she slowly lifts the lid on the box. Her auburn wig shone in the moonlight, alongside the coke bottle glasses. There were some pieces of jewelry like her crow ring and a moon necklace that she often wore. She has held onto these parts of Roni, to remind her of who she was for those 3 years but she knows she doesn't need it. She has those memories locked in her head. A box of stuff only makes things more complicated.

She doesn't have to be Roni anymore. She can say goodbye to her and just be Regina. A wife and mother trying to make up for lost time.

Her hand goes to her arm where her thorn tattoo is inked deep inside. She'll always have a piece of Roni in her, no matter what.

Dropping the lid back on, she places the box into the ground and shovels the dirt on top of it. She reaches over and plucks a white chrysanthemum, letting it flutter on top of the fresh soil.

"Goodnight, Roni," she whispers.


End file.
